Over the next few months, the SFU City Program will be hosting speakers from a state that shares more than a border with Canada. We’ve been big fans of some of the urban thinkers there — in particular Charles Marohn, co-founder and president of ‘Strong Towns.’ Charles is a professional engineer who is passionate about planning and small towns, but also brings a civil-engineering perspective that results in original ideas. Like ‘Stroads’ — a street/road hybrid that manages to be both expensive and unproductive. He’s also a fiscal conservative who makes his case effectively to a small-government audience as much as to urban planners and engineers. You can see more on youtube. Or his TED Talk. Better yet, come hear Charles Marohn live on October 24.

SFU’s award-winning Urban Design Certificate program returns to Edmonton October 16–19, 2013, to offer professional development courses in partnership with the City of Edmonton. Enhance your urban design and place-making skills through intensive courses taught by urban design practitioners with a wealth of experience. You’ll have the opportunity to network with like-minded mid-career professionals from municipalities throughout Canada.

SFU’s new certificate is designed to help mid-career professionals use next-generation transportation strategies to advance livable and sustainable cities of the future. This program is comprised of four online courses. Details